Kalamandalam Kshemavathy

🪔 About

Kalamandalam Kshemavathy, born in 1948 in Viyyoor village, Thrissur, Kerala, India, is a revered Mohiniyattam dancer, guru, and choreographer. She began her formal training at Kerala Kalamandalam at the age of ten or eleven, studying Mohiniyattam under the tutelage of doyens like Chinnammu Amma and Sathyabhama. While specializing in Mohiniyattam, she also received advanced training in Bharatanatyam from Muthuswamy Pillai, Chitra Visweswaran, and Adyar Lakshmanan, and in Kuchipudi from Vempati Chinna Satyam. Kshemavathy is celebrated for her exquisite abhinaya (expressive acting) and her traditionalist approach to Mohiniyattam, while simultaneously advocating for research and thoughtful experimentation within the art form. Her career spans over five decades as a performer and teacher, during which she has significantly contributed to the revitalization and evolution of Mohiniyattam. She is credited with choreographing approximately 100 poems, including classical works, modern pieces, and even ghazals, expanding the dance form's repertoire. She founded the Kerala Kalamandiram school of dance in Thrissur in 1965, where she has trained a vast number of students, including international talents from countries like Germany, France, Sweden, and Finland. Kshemavathy was the first Mohiniyattam dancer from Kerala to receive the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award. Awards & Honours: Padma Shri (2011), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1999), Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award (for Bharatanatyam) (1975), Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship (Kalaratna Puraskaram) (2015), Kalamandalam Award for Mohiniyattam (1993), Nrithya Natya Puraskara (Kerala State Government) (2008), Vanitha Ratnam award, Natya Kalamani award from Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Guru Gopinath Award, Nishagandhi Puraskaram (2019), Senior Fellowship from the Ministry of Human Resources, Delhi.